


Warm Blood

by pcrrycox



Category: Scrubs (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 10:52:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14714681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pcrrycox/pseuds/pcrrycox
Summary: Revenge is a powerful thing and exacting it can have grave consequences. The supernatural was something JD never even thought to believe in - until it was too late not to believe.





	Warm Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh!! It's finally come to fruition: the vampire!AU I've been working on for so long! I'm sorry it took me so long to post it, but I had planned out a lot of it and then hit a bit of a roadblock. It was so satisfying, though, when I finally got back to writing it and new scenes and ideas flowed effortlessly! 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts and while I'm not promising anything, I have a funny feeling that there may be a sequel at some point :)
> 
> Come say hi over on tumblr (@pcrrycox) and scream with me about JDox!

              JD had been looking forward to that night for a week and a half.  Somehow, the stars had aligned and he, Turk, Carla, and Elliot all managed to have the same evening off.  Life as an intern was proving to be far more hectic than JD had ever thought possible, and he knew Turk and Elliot were feeling just as burnt out.  Carla always had their backs, even if she and Elliot didn’t always get along, but what they all needed was a night where they could simply relax and be friends without the weight of the hospital resting on their shoulders.

              It wasn’t until JD was three drinks in – he’d forced himself to stomach the beer Turk had picked up – that his inhibitions lowered and he felt comfortable asking the rest of the group about something he’d noticed over the last few months.

              “Hey, Carla,” he said, an edge of laughter in his voice, which was most certainly the alcohol’s doing, “you’ve worked at the hospital for years now.  Have you ever noticed anything… _off_ about Dr. Cox?”

              “Off?” Carla repeated, her brows furrowing.  “What do you mean?  I know he’s private and a little closed off, but –”

              “Woman, please,” Turk snorted as he rolled his eyes.  “That dude is the most closed off person I’ve ever _seen_.  Forget about how he talks to his patients, he can’t even relate to his coworkers, man!  I don’t know why you care so much about him.”

              JD sighed and took another swig from his bottle.  “Spare me the speech, Turk,” he grumbled.  “No, I meant like, have you ever noticed how sometimes his eyes go all dark and he, like, sucks on his gums like he’s anxious about something?  It’s like he’s seconds away from snapping, but he always pulls himself back.”

              “If I didn’t know any better,” Elliot giggled, “I’d say someone spends a little too much time _observing_ Dr. Cox, if you know what I mean.”

              “What’s so funny?” JD asked, quickly growing annoyed with his friends.  “I’m being serious.”

              “Bambi, it’s pretty obvious, I’m afraid,” Carla said between titters.  “You’ve got a crush on Dr. Cox.”

              “I do not,” JD said, his voice rising.  “You guys, come on.  Just because I think he’s a brilliant doctor doesn’t automatically mean I have a crush on him.  I’m just naturally observant.”

              “Whatever you say, dude,” Turk chuckled, making it clear that none of them were buying it. 

              JD grumbled under his breath and sank down in his chair, listening as the others changed the subject to a movie Turk and Carla had gone to see the previous week.  He was content to be left to his thoughts, which, as usual, drifted toward Perry.  It wasn’t as though he’d kept a journal – though that was an idea – but over the last few months since he’d started at Sacred Heart, JD had been paying close attention to Perry.  He’d committed each occurrence to memory, each time Perry’s pupils dilated, his eyes growing dark with… well, JD wasn’t sure if it was anger or want or _what_ it was, but if anyone else had paid enough attention to notice it, they’d think something was up, too.  He didn’t know what to make of the way Perry ran his tongue over his teeth and his gums either, but it seemed to go hand-in-hand with the pupil dilation.  When those things happened, Perry seemed to have to step back from whatever situation he was in – JD had yet to find a common denominator between them, because there was usually such a flurry of activity, a code or a new admit, that JD couldn’t watch him for long enough.  The next chance he got to look at Perry would show him that the older doctor had composed himself and was back to his usual bristling self.

              JD found it hard to concentrate for the rest of the evening.  He knew he should put more effort in, having organized their get-together in the first place, but it was their own fault for teasing him.  Even after Elliot and Carla left and Turk went to bed, JD couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that his friends thought he had the hots for his attending.  Was it true that he found Perry objectively attractive?  Well, yes, if he was being honest with himself.  Did he think Perry’d be phenomenal in the sack?  Absolutely – if he’d thought about those things, which he most certainly had _not_.  At all.  Not even in his dreams.  Especially not that one time he’d woken up hard as a – _never mind_.  But that didn’t change the fact that he _did not_ have a crush on Perry Cox.

              JD rolled over in his bed and punched his pillow in frustration.  He doubted that even after bringing it up that any of his friends would care enough to observe Perry as much as he did.  Closing his eyes, he let sleep come for him, resolving to paying even closer attention to get to the bottom of Perry’s odd characteristics.  All his dreams were of his attending’s dark eyes.

 

              JD stuck close to Perry’s side the next day, shrugging off the girls’ names and verbal abuse he’d grown so accustomed to.  If annoying Perry more than usual was a risk he had to take, well, he was damn sure going to take it.  He convinced himself – which didn’t take much effort – that he was shadowing Perry so closely because he was such a good doctor.  It would be nice to learn from his process, see how his mind worked, even if his eyes didn’t darken at all that day.  Plus, he enjoyed the older man’s company, even if the feeling wasn’t mutual.  He ignored Carla’s pointed looks throughout the day, and thankfully, he was just busy enough that she couldn’t pull him aside and tease him – or worse, do that thing where she seemed to be able to read his mind.

              Late in the day, just as the sun had begun to set, a new admission was brought up to the ICU and Perry called JD over just as they wheeled in the patient.  It was a gunshot victim who’d barely been stabilized in the emergency room and was barely clinging to life.  JD could hardly recall a time when he’d seen more blood leaving a single person’s body.  He stood back, letting Perry run the room as nurses fluttered about, abiding by Perry’s every word.  At first, JD thought only to use this as a learning experience, but then he realized Perry’s pupils looked blown out once again, leaving hardly any trace of the vivid blue irises around them.  Perry’s jaw was set tightly as he worked to stop the bleeding.

              “Dammit, people, let’s get moving!” Perry shouted.  “Carla, call the O.R. and get him in a room immediately.  If any of this bleeding’s internal, he’ll be a goner in no time flat.  You, I want three units of O-neg in here _now_.”

              JD surged forward at Perry’s gesturing, snapping gloves onto his hands and applying pressure to the gunshot wound on the victim’s left side.  He didn’t think about Perry’s eyes, not when a patient’s life was hanging in the balance.  He had his priorities, and as badly as he wanted to know what caused Perry’s symptoms, his patients came first.  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the patient was stabilized and heading up to surgery.  JD was certain he’d need several transfusions, but now all they could do was hope that he’d pull through.

              When he looked up from the mess in the room, rubber gloves and gauze and towels scattered all over the floor, Perry was across from him, sucking on his gums once again, his arms crossed in front of his chest.  “Dr. Cox, are you okay?” JD asked, his determination to get an answer for Perry’s behavior overruling his instinct for self-preservation.  “Your eyes…”

              Perry’s dark eyes flashed dangerously, and for the first time, JD felt genuinely afraid of Perry.  “I know your little heart just goes pitter-patter when I’m around, Newbie, but if you don’t stop talking about my eyes, I’ll make damn sure you regret it.”

              JD raised his gloved hands in surrender.  “Sorry,” he muttered, but watched curiously as Perry’s eyes darkened further.  His gaze seemed to be locked on JD’s gloves and he ran his tongue over his teeth.  Intrigued, JD took a step toward Perry, his hands still raised.  “Is something wrong, Dr. Cox?” he pressed, watching as Perry held his ground, though he looked uncertain.

              “Nothing’s wrong, Daphne,” Perry snapped, glaring down at JD.  “Get out of here and get yourself cleaned up.  You’ve still got a couple hours left.”

              Slowly and deliberately, JD took his gloves off and tossed them in the hazardous waste bin just outside the door.  He watched Perry’s eyes go back to normal once he was out of sight, leaving JD no closer to understanding what was going on with his mentor.

 

              That evening when JD got home, he went straight to his room, grateful to have the apartment to himself for once.  He fished around under his bed and emerged with a previously unused journal and opened it to the first page.  Part of him felt crazy, but he _knew_ he wasn’t just imagining Perry’s symptoms.  With great care, he made a bullet-pointed list, beginning with Perry’s eyes.  It was the most noticeable symptom, at least for him, and the strangest.  Normal eyes didn’t just dilate, especially not under harsh fluorescent hospital lighting.  He described Perry’s eyes in great detail, noting that it seemed as though his pupils were widening rather than the icy blue of his eyes changing color.  Following that, he transcribed the way Perry sucked on his teeth or run his tongue over his gums.  Of the symptoms JD had noticed, that one perplexed him the least.  Perhaps it was Perry’s way of calming himself during fast-paced trauma situations, or a nervous tick.  But then again, Perry never seemed so in-control as he did during codes, when he ran the room flawlessly.  JD debated adding Perry’s tense and terse attitude as a symptom, but Perry seemed to be that way all the time, so he scratched the idea.  Unable to think of anything else just then, JD closed the journal and shoved it between his mattress and box spring – it was one less thing he needed Turk to find and then tease him about.  Before drifting off to sleep, JD promised himself that he’d pay extra close attention to Perry in the following weeks.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              _Typical_ , JD thought to himself.  Turk had bailed on him again for some of his surgery buddies and a game of basketball.  They’d agreed to meet up for drinks at the bar just down the street from the hospital, but now JD was sitting on a stool all by himself and there were hardly any attractive people there.  Turk had always been a decent wingman, at least when it came to the ladies, and guys seemed to like JD naturally without much effort on his part.  He’d been told on more than one occasion that it was those nice, full lips of his.  He giggled to himself as he took a sip of his appletini – his fourth one of the night – and wondered absently if Dr. Cox liked his lips.

              He finished off his drink and tipped the bartender handsomely before sliding off his chair and out into the brisk evening breeze.  It was significantly less fun to sit at a bar alone than with a friend, even if that friend had been spending less and less time with him since they’d started at Sacred Heart.  He knew he shouldn’t be angry with Turk – it wasn’t _his_ fault he’d found a girlfriend and new buddies within just a week or two.  Still, JD couldn’t help but be a little resentful of his best friend; what had he gotten out of the deal other than an abusive mentor with weird eyes?

              JD knew better than to try and drive, so he began the long walk back to the apartment.  He didn’t make it more than twenty feet before he heard a commotion in the alley behind the bar.  From the lights in the parking lot, he could just barely make out two dark figures.  He squinted, trying to distinguish between the two of them.  It appeared that the taller one was pressing the smaller one up against the brick wall of the bar.  At first, JD simply shrugged it off, figuring it was just a couple drunk strangers hooking up, since it looked like the tall one was kissing the other’s neck.  But then JD heard the unmistakable sounds of pained gasping.

              “Hey!” JD shouted without thinking, his feet carrying him toward the couple.  “Get off him!”  He jumped back in surprise when the taller figure whipped around and glared at him.

              “This isn’t a threesome, Newbie, so get lost,” Perry growled at him, standing in such a way that JD couldn’t see the other man’s neck.

              “S-sorry,” JD stammered.  It was too dark for JD to see much of Perry’s face, but in the faint glow of the parking lot lights, he swore he could see something liquid and shiny on Perry’s chin.  “It just sounded like you were hurting him and I… What’s on your chin?”

              JD barely had a chance to react as Perry’s face shifted towards something much more menacing.  He leaned forward and grabbed JD by the front of his shirt and locked eyes with him.  JD had no other option but to stare back at him, terrified.  “Get out of here, go home, and forget you saw me tonight,” Perry said in a low, compelling voice.

              It never occurred to JD that he should disobey and when Perry released him, he simply turned, all fear forgotten, and continued back on his way home, where he went straight to bed without thinking of Perry even once.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              Over the next several weeks, life at the hospital continued on as normal.  JD stuck close to Perry’s side, observing him and learning from him, and some days were better than others.  On occasion, Perry would be kinder to him than usual, but JD chalked it up to a good night’s sleep.  Unfortunately, there were only a handful of times that he saw Perry’s eyes darken, and they were fleeting.  Most of them were during codes, but the most memorable instance was after JD had a particularly nasty run-in with the Janitor.  It had resulted in him flying down half a flight of stairs and landing face-down in the stairwell.  He wasn’t much worse for wear, but he did have a bloody nose.  Perry had found him moments later, bursting through the door with an expression that JD almost mistook for concern.  It had been quick, and he’d almost missed it, but JD had sworn he saw Perry’s eyes darken more than he’d ever seen before.  But he’d been too focused on his own nose that by the time he looked back up at Perry, the other doctor had pulled himself together and stepped forward to make sure JD’s nose wasn’t broken.  His touch had been surprisingly gentle, but he’d left in a hurry after telling JD how clumsy he was and calling him a girls’ name.  JD’d smiled wryly at the mock-insult and then headed off toward the bathroom to clean himself up.

              Nearly three months after he first began cataloguing Perry’s symptoms, JD was assigned to a newly admitted patient.  Mr. Grant was complaining of severe pain that radiated through his entire body.  JD was determined to find the reason for his pain and he assured Mr. Grant of that upon their first meeting.  JD promptly ordered every test he could think of – ones that would rule out specific conditions and broader ones that could point to possible causes for his pain.  He went on with the rest of his day, which included lunch with Turk, Elliot, and Carla, during which they teased and bickered, enjoying it all the while.  Perry caught up with him after lunch and asked him to look in on a few patients with him – opportunities to learn something new were always something JD was interested in, especially when they involved learning from Perry.  He picked up Mr. Grant’s test results afterwards, but was disappointed to read that they’d found nothing.  Literally everything was within normal limits apart from Mr. Grant’s blood pressure, which could easily have been explained by his pain.  JD resolved to order more tests in the morning when he came in and to do a little more digging into his patient’s family history.  He thought about his care for his patients in terms of what Perry would do and he’d never seen Perry _not_ try his hardest to get to the root of their ailments.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              “Dr. Dorian, it appears that Mr. Grant is under your care.”

              JD looked up from the chart in his hands – which just so happened to be Mr. Grant’s – and saw Dr. Kelso fixing him with a hard stare.  “That’s correct, sir,” JD confirmed, wondering what he could have possibly done wrong.  He’d been working tirelessly on Mr. Grant’s case for the better part of a week and was no closer to finding out what was wrong with him.

              “And you ordered a full-body CT on him,” Kelso continued, his tone impassive.

              “Yes,” JD said slowly.  “Is that a problem, sir?”

              Kelso’s glare hardened even further.  “I’m afraid that Sacred Heart is not in the business of giving its patients a free ride, as it were.  Mr. Grant does not have insurance and it seems to me that he has overstayed his welcome.”

              “Sir,” JD interjected, though he was careful to tread lightly when it came to standing up to Kelso, “he’s in a tremendous amount of pain.  I just need a little more time to figure out what’s wrong with him –”

              “Figure it out by the end of the day or Mr. Grant will need to find a different hospital,” Kelso threatened, walking away with Ted at his heels before JD could utter another word.

              Frustrated, JD slammed his chart down on the counter, making several of the nearby nurses jump, and then stormed off in the opposite direction.  He found Perry sitting on the couch in the doctors’ lounge; he hadn’t yet gone to him for help, having been determined to solve the case himself, but it looked as though he’d run out of time on that front. 

              “Dr. Cox, I was wondering if you could help me with a patient,” JD said tentatively, standing just off to the side of the T.V. that Perry was watching intently.

              Perry’s eyes flashed up to JD then back to the T.V. and then back to JD again.  He sighed and sat up straighter.  “You may speak.”

              “I can’t find any reason for this guy’s pain,” JD lamented.  “He’s been here for almost a week and I’ve run pretty much every test I can think of and they’ve all come back negative.”

              “Have you ruled out psychological trauma?” Perry asked, his tone purely clinical.

              “Well, no… that’s not really my field.”

              “Then turf him,” Perry said with a shrug, relaxing back into the couch.  “If you can’t find any medical reason for your patient’s pain, then I’m betting a shrink will.  It’s not your job to psychoanalyze him, Newbie, it’s theirs.”

              “That kind of feels like giving up, though,” JD said awkwardly. “Doesn’t it?”

              Perry narrowed his eyes at JD.  “Pumpkin, that’s just modern medicine.  It doesn’t make you a bad doctor to acknowledge when you’ve been beat.  Now hand him off to psychiatry, where he has a much better shot at a diagnosis and treatment plan.”

              “He doesn’t have any insurance,” JD sighed.  “And Kelso knows it.”

              Perry sighed and brushed his nose before crossing his arms.  “If Kelso’s already caught wind, you know there’s nothing you nor I can do to get him off your back.  Give your patient the number for the mental health clinic across town and cross your fingers he goes.  You did everything you could, Newbie.”

              JD hung his head as he walked back out into the hallway, knowing he had to have a conversation with Mr. Grant about what all this meant for him.  It was the first time JD had to admit that he couldn’t help a patient and while he knew Perry’s words had been intended to make him feel better, it didn’t take away the hollow feeling in his chest.  He’d become a doctor to help people, not to be wrapped up in Kelso’s bureaucratic nonsense and red tape.  For the first time in a while, Perry was the last thing on his mind as he stepped into Mr. Grant’s room.

              “Mr. Grant, how are you feeling today?” JD asked, not bothering to plaster a forced smile onto his face.

              “The same,” Mr. Grant replied, his jaw tight.  “Don’t suppose you have good news for me.”

              JD sighed and pulled up the lone chair in the room next to Mr. Grant’s bed.  “I really wish I did, but I just got your last round of test results back and they were all inconclusive.  I talked to my attending about your case and he recommended that the best course of action might be psychiatric involvement.  That doesn’t mean I don’t believe you,” JD said quickly at the look of betrayal on Mr. Grant’s face.  “I can see how much pain you’re in, Mr. Grant, but I – I can’t find any medical reason for it.  That doesn’t mean that it’s not real.  It just means that I’m not the kind of doctor who can help you.  Now, unfortunately, I’m going to have to discharge you, but I have the number here for the free clinic across town that specializes in this sort of thing.”

              “Save it,” Mr. Grant said in a flat voice, his hands balled into fists at his sides.  “I don’t want a goddamn number to a free clinic, Dr. Dorian!  I want a diagnosis!  I want a treatment plan, a reason why I feel like this _all the goddamn time_!”

              JD shrank in his chair at his patient’s shouts, each word driving into him like a knife.  “I’m so –”

              “You think I want to hear your apologies?” Mr. Grant asked, his tone dripping with resentment.  “Get out of my room.  If you’re not going to do anything more to help me, _get out of my room_.”

              JD rose up out of his chair, feeling oddly empty.  “I really hope you get answers, Mr. Grant,” he said quietly.  “I really do.”  With that, he left the room and headed straight for his locker.  He changed back into his streets, glad that his shift was over and that he could get the hell out of the hospital.  He’d never experienced something like this before.  Sure, he was only a little more than six months into his internship, but so far, he’d proven himself quite competent, if only a little timid.  But this was different.  He’d been at a loss as to what else to do for Mr. Grant and then Kelso’d jumped down his throat and Perry told him to admit defeat.  It was a hard pill to swallow and it wasn’t one he felt he could take without a little help.

              Grateful that his shift was over, JD headed across the street to the bar they all frequented and ordered a shot of tequila.  He hadn’t had tequila since the summer before his last year of med school and he swore he’d never have it again, but desperate times called for desperate measures.  At least Turk wasn’t around this time for JD to hit on him again. 

              After that, the drinks kept coming.  He did a couple more shots and chased them with several beers from other patrons who seemed to enjoy his lowered inhibitions.  It had been a long time since JD had let himself go like this, and as much as he hated the taste of the beer as it went down, he finished the bottles off quickly.  As the evening pressed on, he thought less about Mr. Grant and more about Perry.  From one hell right to another.  Thoughts of Perry brought with them a lot of confusion, a lot of uncertainty.  JD had long since admitted to himself that he found Perry incredibly attractive, but had been less willing to admit to himself the depth of his feelings for the older man.  He was still perplexed by his odd traits, his dark eyes, but after spending so much time with him nearly every day at the hospital, he’d fallen for Perry, hard.  He was careful to let no one in on this secret, afraid of what his friends would say.  After all, they’d been so quick to laugh at him when they thought he’d had just a crush.  What would they say when they found out that JD was head over heels for him?

              It didn’t help matters, then, when Perry walked into the bar and plucked himself down at the opposite end of the counter, never acknowledging JD.  But JD was so in-tune with him that he’d spotted him immediately, even through the decently-sized crowd that congregated in the middle of the floor.  JD watched as he ordered a beer and slid a bill over to the bartender.  He took a swig from the bottle and his throat flexed as he swallowed.  JD entire body felt as though it was on fire as he watched the other man, and while distantly he knew that the alcohol had made his entire brain fuzzy, he couldn’t deny the pull, the attraction he felt toward Perry.  And in the same instant, he knew that he didn’t have a chance at _anything_ with him.  Perry would never be interested in him, even if he wasn’t straight.  JD didn’t actually know if Perry was or not, but given the few hook-ups he’d heard Perry talk about, he’d assumed.  Which left him with even _less_ of a chance. 

              The night seemed to drag on and JD pounded down a few more beers before stumbling out into the parking lot.  He braced himself against the side of the building, swaying slightly as he hunched over, feeling rather sick.  The cool air helped, but he was distantly aware of someone watching him.  Slowly, he straightened up, knowing that if he moved too fast, he’d go down.  He looked over his shoulder and jumped, finding Perry right behind him.

              “All right, Newbie?” Perry asked, though JD didn’t hear any trace of genuine concern in his voice.

              Seized by a sudden desire, JD lifted his hands and cupped Perry’s face.  He didn’t miss the poorly disguised shock that appeared on Perry’s face, even if it was fleeting.  JD was happy with simply looking into Perry’s eyes, though had he been a little less drunk, he might have attempted kissing him – then again, if he was sober, he would never have dared to touch Perry in such a way. 

              Perry grabbed his wrists and lowered them slowly.  “JD, stop,” he said in a low voice that rang with authority.  “There are so many reasons – too many reasons – why this can’t happen.  You need to come to terms with that.”

              “You won’t even tell me why,” JD said, his voice breaking on the last word.  “Perry, please.  I just… I just want –”

              “I know what you want, JD,” Perry said – and JD’s eyes widened at hearing his real name on Perry’s tongue – with regret in his voice.  “But I’m telling you that you can’t have it.  You don’t _want_ it.  You only think you do.  If you had any _clue_ …”  Perry trailed off and closed his eyes for a moment.  When he reopened them, JD found them to be rebuilt into something much less vulnerable, much more forced.  Even through the haze, he could tell that much.  “You’re going to go home,” he said smoothly, and without a second thought, JD knew he would obey.  “And you’re going to sleep off a night of far too much drinking.  You’ll wake up tomorrow with one hell of a hangover but be no worse for the wear, and most importantly… most importantly, when you come back to work, you’ll do your job like normal and you won’t remember _any_ of this.  Understood?”

              “I understand,” JD replied without even meaning to.  Perry’s strange pull over him felt strangely reminiscent, as though he’d heard him speak that way before, though he couldn’t pinpoint the instance.  “Goodnight, Dr. Cox.”

              “Goodnight, Newbie.”

 

              When JD woke the next morning, his head was pounding.  He groaned at the sunlight filtering in from behind the blinds and glanced at his alarm clock.  It was still early, early enough that he could grab an aspirin and go back to sleep, which he did once he was able to drag himself out of bed.  He swallowed the pills and finished off the rest of his glass of water and then flopped back into bed, his mind blissfully free of thoughts of Perry.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              The next couple weeks were relatively uneventful for JD.  He hung around with his friends, he learned more at Perry’s side, and he had grown more confident in his abilities as a doctor.  He hadn’t forgotten about Mr. Grant, but after thinking more about what Perry had said about knowing when he’d been beat, he decided that it was all for the best.  He hoped that Mr. Grant had taken his advice about the free clinic despite his anger, and liked to think that he was somewhere out in the world, free of pain.  It was perhaps because of Mr. Grant that JD concentrated even harder on his work, determined to become a better doctor.  He knew he had only just begun his career in medicine, but he was always learning, most often at Perry’s side. 

              He and Perry were working similar shifts one evening, both late at night.  The hospital was quiet and there was little to do, so JD had tucked himself away in the lounge, poring over various medical books, researching something for a patient.  Perry had found him fifteen minutes after his shift ended. 

              “Best head on home there, Newbie,” Perry said, appearing in the doorway.

              JD glanced down at his watch in surprise.  “Wow,” he chuckled.  “Guess time flies when you’re reading mind-numbing literature.”

              Perry snorted.  “Go on, get out of here,” he said, a hint of fondness in his voice.  “Kelso will have your ass when he sees you punching out late.”

              JD blushed and set aside the encyclopedia.  “You’re almost done, too, aren’t you?”

              “In fifteen,” Perry confirmed.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, kid.”

              “Bye,” JD said, brushing past Perry on his way out into the hall.  He headed toward the locker room and gathered his bag, feeling oddly cheerful.  Things had been going well lately, and Perry hadn’t seemed to feel the need to yell at him quite as often.  He remained cautiously optimistic about what the future held for him, both professionally and romantically.  He walked out into the night, down the exit ramp, and breathed in the fresh air.  He wasn’t aware that anything was amiss until he noticed a figure standing near his car.  At first, he thought nothing of it – perhaps it was another doctor just arriving for their shift – so he continued on his way.

              And then stopped in his tracks.

              “Mr. Grant,” JD said, unsettled by the appearance of the other man.  He looked haggard in the dim light from the hospital.  It was dark by his car – the nearest lamp was too far away to really cast any light their way.  “H-how have you been?”

              “How do you think I’ve been?” Mr. Grant spat.  “You threw me out on my ass because you were too damn busy to help me.”

              “It wasn’t like that,” JD insisted.  “I did everything I could –”

              “I don’t want to hear it!” Mr. Grant growled, cutting JD off.  He noticed that the other man was keeping his voice low, probably didn’t want to draw attention to them.  It was then that JD spotted the object his fingers were curled around.  Mr. Grant raised his handgun, equipped with what appeared to be a homemade silencer, and aimed it directly at JD’s chest.

              JD threw his hands up in surrender, trying to look as harmless as possible.  “We can talk about this,” he said carefully.  “I – I’ll run any test you want.  I swear, I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Mr. Grant.”

              “You should have done that the first time,” Mr. Grant said in a low voice.  “Because of you, I’ve been wondering if I’m crazy, if all this is in my head.  This _excruciating_ pain.  I can’t sleep, I can barely eat, all because of _you._ ”

              “It doesn’t have to be this way,” JD implored, shaking his head.  “We’ll figure this out.  Whatever it takes, I promise –”

              JD didn’t have enough time to do anything in the seconds that followed.  Didn’t have enough time to react, to think, to breathe.  One moment, he was pleading with Mr. Grant, and the next there was a pain unlike anything he’d ever known _ripping_ through his chest, and he was falling, sinking to the ground, his knees hitting the blacktop as he crumpled in on himself.  He tried to shout as he clutched instinctively at his chest, feeling something warm and wet there, but only a low gurgling sound left his mouth.  His eyes were wide, but his vision was rapidly going black, and the pain was _everywhere_.  It was all he could focus on and his arms, his entire body, felt so heavy, too heavy to hold up.  He tried to sob, and he might have been successful, but all he could hear was a dull roaring in his ears.  Distantly, he knew he should try to fight, try to hold on, but the blackness, the roaring, promised relief from the pain, and he went to it willingly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              The next sensation JD remembered was that every single inch of his body was being engulfed by flames.  Each vein, every artery, was filled with his blood and it was boiling.  He tried to scream, but he couldn’t hear himself.  He was certain he had died, but he’d expected to feel relief, not this intolerable _anguish_.  The burning seemed to be strongest in his throat, but he couldn’t swallow.  In fact, he couldn’t move.  He was paralyzed.  He thought he felt something cool touch his wrist, but the burning was everywhere, keeping him from focusing on anything else.  He succumbed to the fire and was grateful when the blackness consumed him once again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              When JD awoke, the fire was still there, dulled just enough to allow him to take in his surroundings.  He was in bed – _a_ bed, not _his_ bed – and he could hear everything.  Somewhere nearby, there was a television turned on to a sports channel with the volume on low, and just outside the window there were birds nesting in a tree.  At first, it didn’t occur to JD that he shouldn’t be able to hear these things.  The fire remained unexplained, but he dared to open his eyes, curious to see whether or not his entire world had been set aflame.  He was surprised to find himself in a plain, unassuming bedroom.  There were no decorations on the walls, no hint of personality.  Maybe it was a hotel or someone’s guestroom.  Nothing gave him any hints as to where he was until the door slowly opened.

              Perry entered the room, looking solemn.  He held a glass in his hand, filled with a deep red liquid.  As soon as the scent hit JD, he knew that was what his entire existence burned for.  Without thinking, he reached for it, and found himself propelled halfway across the room.  His eyes wide, he looked at Perry with a frightened expression, though he found it difficult to look at him for long when that glass was so close…

              “Drink,” Perry murmured, offering it up to JD.  “It’ll help.”

              Without further thought, JD brought the glass to his lips and drank deeply, downing the liquid in a single gulp.  He wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand, finding it smeared with red.  He felt an unfamiliar prickling in his gums and he brought his hand up to his mouth, his brows furrowing. 

              “What…,” JD began slowly, looking back up at Perry when the burning in his throat subsided just a little.  “What happened to me?”

              Perry frowned deeply.  “How do you feel?” he asked.

              “I – okay, I guess,” JD replied, stretching a little and realizing the action felt unnatural, unnecessary.  “My throat feels… kinda scratchy.  Like the day before you get a sore throat.”

              “That’ll get easier to manage with time,” Perry said, watching JD as though he were a wild animal.

              “Why are you looking at me like that?”

              “Just making sure you’re all right.”

              “Why wouldn’t I be?” JD asked in confusion.  “Hey, why am I here?”

              Perry took a deep breath.  “JD, I need to tell you something and I need you to do your very best to stay calm.  Do you think you can do that?”

              JD looked at Perry like he was crazy.  “What are you talking about?”

              “I swear that if there had been any other way, I wouldn’t have done this to you, but you were… Jesus, you were just _inches_ from death when I found you.  I – I had to Turn you, JD.  It was the only way.”

              “ _Turn me_?” JD repeated.  “Into what?”

              “A vampire.”

              JD swiftly realized that his thoughts could move much faster than before and that he could think so many things at once.  Once he understood that Perry was serious – and that what he’d just drunk was not some strange sort of wine – he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.  He felt tears welling in his eyes and his breath coming faster, which only served to irritate the burning in his throat, and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Perry was telling him the truth.  All the symptoms he’d catalogued over the last half a year suddenly became clear, even if none of this was supposed to be real.

              “Why?” JD asked in a broken voice, imploring Perry with his eyes to explain.

              “Come with me,” Perry said in a much gentler tone than JD was used to hearing.  “Come on.” 

He led JD out into the living room and JD sank down onto the couch and wrapped his arms around himself.  Just as he began thinking that he’d _never_ be okay with this, Perry began to speak, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.

              “I was Turned in 1863.  I was a doctor back then, too, but I was out on the battlefield with the Union soldiers.  I trust you’re familiar with the Civil War.”

              JD lifted his head, tears still standing in his eyes, and looked over at Perry.  “You died in the Civil War?” he whispered as he attempted to wrap his mind around the fact that Perry wasn’t just in his late thirties, but rather a century and a half old.

              Perry nodded solemnly.  “Textbooks and historians can’t do it justice,” he explained.  “The sheer brutality of war isn’t something you can wrap your head around until you’ve lived it.  The needless, unnecessary deaths, the tremendous waste of human life…  I was tasked with clearing the wounded off the field when the battle was over.  There were many of us, though not enough, and there were even more wounded.  We didn’t have the equipment, the medication, that we do now, not to mention the advancement in technology.  When we got them back to the medical tents, there was only so much we could do, and oftentimes that meant amputation.  Many soldiers died there, slowly and painfully, because it was all we could do for them. 

              “It was late that night, after the battle had ended – or so we thought – when Confederate soldiers opened fire on our camp.  I took a bullet in the shoulder, right here,” Perry said, pointing to a spot on his left shoulder, just above his pectoral muscle, and JD winced.  “I laid there for what felt like hours while the battle raged around me, losing blood, too weak to move.  It was simply too dangerous to try and retrieve the wounded, the dead, amidst the cannon- and gunfire.  Finally, I felt someone drag me off the field and I assumed it was one of my fellow doctors or a kind soldier.  But they were strong and they were bringing me toward the forest, away from our encampment.  I thought it might have been the Confederate soldiers, thinking they could capture me to use as leverage, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

              “It was my sire, the vampire who turned me.  She offered me a choice, asked if I wanted to live or die.  I had never thought of myself as the dying type, so I told her I wanted to live, not knowing what her offer entailed.  She brought her wrist to her mouth and bit, opening a small wound and urging me to drink from it.  I was delirious at that point and did as she said, driven solely by my desire to stay alive.  I had never met her, never seen her before, but I trusted her.  And it’s for that reason that I’m here today, with you and telling you that it gets better, JD.  You’ll learn to control the thirst and things will become easier for you.  If you can learn to embrace the good parts of vampirism, the things that make you powerful and of service to others, to the world, you’ll be better off than if you fight it.  You can’t change what you are, what you’ve become, but you can control how you approach it.  That’s not to say that any of this is easy – it took me years just to be around humans again –” Perry quickly backpedaled at JD’s horrified expression – “but I was alone, JD.  My sire left me and forced me to adjust on my own, figure out how to keep from hurting the humans around me.  But you’ve got me, kid, and I won’t let you hurt anyone.  I can teach you how to stay in control, even when it seems impossible.  You _can_ do this, Newbie.  If anyone can, it’s you.”

              JD closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to believe in Perry’s words.  “I trust you,” he finally said, looking back over at him.  “The last thing I want to do is hurt someone.  I became a doctor to _help_ people and I want to continue to do that.”

              “You can,” Perry said, his voice taking on the authoritative tone that made JD gravitate toward him in the first place.  “And you will.  But first, we should probably get you something more to drink.”

              JD swallowed hard against the resurgence of the burning in his throat.  It had been manageable while he listened to Perry, but now that Perry had brought it up again, it was all he could think about.  “It was like my veins were on fire,” he whispered.

              Perry nodded.  “I know,” he replied, his voice taking on a tender quality.  “I remember it vividly.  I don’t think it’s something you ever forget, the Turn.”

              “Have you ever Turned anyone?” JD asked, his hands fidgeting in his lap.  “You know, besides me?”

              Perry shook his head.  “No, I haven’t.  I swore I never would.  I – I never wanted to condemn someone else to this life.  But I was selfish, JD, because the thought of a world without you in it…  There are too many people who care about you, kid, and I’m sorry that this wasn’t something you wanted.  Believe me, you have no _idea_ how sorry I am.  I just hope that you’ll be able to forgive me, let me help you through this.  Living nearly one hundred and fifty years in total solitude isn’t something I’d wish on anyone, let alone you.”

              JD shivered at the thought, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to survive such isolation.  He opened his mouth to reply, but sliced his lower lip on one of his fangs.  “Shit,” he hissed, bringing a hand up to his lip to feel the wound.  It left a small drop of blood on his thumb, but the wound closed almost instantly. 

              “You’re still thirsty,” Perry said, pushing himself up off the couch.  “Fangs sneak up on you?”

              “I – yeah,” JD said, concentrating hard on muscles he never knew he had to retract them.  “Does that happen a lot?”

              “You’ve noticed how I run my tongue over my teeth, yes?” Perry asked casually, making his way over to what JD had always assumed was a liquor cabinet.  He quickly realized it housed a mini-fridge that was fully-stocked with blood bags.  “It’s become a habit now, of course, but when I was younger, it kept me mindful of my urges, kept the fangs from protruding at… inopportune times, let’s say.”  JD watched, transfixed, as Perry poured the blood into a glass, and if it had been a little less thick, it could have passed for wine.  Perry walked back over to the couch and offered him the glass.  “B positive.”

              JD blinked up at him, taking the glass.  “I’m trying to, it’s just a lot to take in,” he admitted.

              “No, JD, the blood type.  It’s B positive.”

              “Oh,” JD said, wondering if he could still blush.  “Right.  Of course.”  He lifted the glass to his lips, feeling a bit foolish about the whole thing, but the moment the blood flowed into his mouth, he couldn’t imagine a time he’d felt relief sweeter than this.  He let out a soft moan and downed the rest of the glass, finally feeling sated.  “Thank you,” he said, wiping his mouth off on his sleeve.

              “It’s the least I can do, kid,” Perry said, rejoining JD on the couch with a glass of his own, though his was only filled halfway.  “Hell, I did this to you.  Might as well feed you.”

              “Dr. Cox, I’m not angry with you,” JD said, settling into the couch and feeling less on-edge.

              “Perry,” he said gently.  “You can call me Perry now.”

              JD nodded, his heart swelling for a moment at the permission.  “Would I have chosen this life?  Probably not.  But it beats the hell out of being dead.  Or well, dead-er.”

              Perry cracked a smile.  “And that wasn’t an alternative I wanted to entertain.  But I suppose now that you’re sated for the time being, you might want to let your friends know that you’re ‘alive.’”

              “What?” JD asked in confusion.  “They… they think I’m dead?”

              “JD, do you remember anything that happened to you?” Perry asked cautiously.

              JD thought for a moment, his brows knitting together.  “I… no, not really…,” he admitted.  “Tell me, please.”

              “Your friends don’t know what to think right now.  You’ve been missing for three days.  You were working late at night and your shift ended.  You left and my shift was over just fifteen minutes later.  I found you outside by your car.  I… I’m still not sure what happened, but Newbie, you’d lost so much blood.  All I can think is that –”

              JD cut Perry off, his eyes going wide.  “It was an old patient of mine,” he breathed.  “I hadn’t been able to find a diagnosis, a medical reason for his pain.  Mr. Grant.  He was so angry with me and when I went to leave that night, he was there, waiting for me.  Said he’d been watching me for a while.  He pulled a gun on me.  He – he had a silencer on it and everything.  I tried to talk him down, but he – oh my god, he…”

              JD couldn’t hold himself together any longer, not now that he remembered how his life had ended.  He broke down, soft cries wrenching their way out of his body.  “When I woke after my Turn, I was completely alone,” Perry said quietly.  “I still don’t know why she chose to Turn me rather than let me die.  There were so many wounded on the battlefield that night, and she could have picked anyone.  That’s why I was so deliberate with you, JD.  Your friends love you, care about you so deeply.  I couldn’t let you go so soon.”

              JD wiped at his eyes, surprised to find that he could still cry.  “I can’t believe I _died_ ,” he said thickly, swallowing against the lump in his throat.  “It’s like I can’t wrap my head around it.  What am I supposed to tell everyone?  What’s my story for disappearing for so long?”

              “That’s up to you, I suppose,” Perry said in a measured voice.  “JD, I have kept the reason for my continued existence a secret from everyone around me for nearly the entire time I’ve been alive.  I won’t pretend that it’s been fun, hiding, keeping myself from getting close to anyone.”

              “Are you saying I should tell them the truth?”

              “I’m not telling you to do anything.  All I’m saying is that I know you and you need your friends.  I wouldn’t want a secret to ruin your relationships with them.”

              “So it’s not, like, illegal?”

              Perry actually chuckled, much to JD’s surprise.  “I think you’ve seen too many vampire movies, kid.  There’s no secret society who governs us, but as a species, we largely keep to ourselves.  But make no mistake – my decision not to tell anyone was an entirely personal decision.”

              “I want to see them,” JD said, springing up off the couch.  He wavered for a moment, forgetting how much more quickly he could move. 

              “You can,” Perry said, rising up off the couch and gesturing for JD to slow down.  “But I’m coming with you.  They’re your friends, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be tempted to feed from them.  You’re a brand new vampire, which means your urges will be nearly impossible to control.  But I’ll be there in case you can’t handle it.  I’ll get you out before you even have a chance to hurt them.”

              JD’s urge to see his friends was swiftly overridden by another, more pressing question.  It nagged at him for a moment – less than a second, actually, but as he found out, his mind was able to process information much more quickly than before.  “How am I supposed to be a doctor if I can’t handle being around people without being babysat?”

              “I never said it was going to be easy, Newbie.  This isn’t a transition that will happen overnight.  You’re going to have to focus, put the effort into honing your self-control.  But I promise you that you _will_ get there.”

              JD took a long, deep breath before he nodded.  “Okay,” he said, resolving himself to this new way of life.  “Let’s go.”

              Perry led the way out of the building, pocketing his keys.  Once they were outside, JD headed toward the parking lot, but stopped when he realized Perry was no longer beside him.  “Where you going, Newbie?” Perry asked, sounding amused.

              “To your car…?”

              “I don’t think so.  We’re running.”

              “No offense, Perry, but I don’t do quite as much cardio as you do.”

              Perry rolled his eyes.  “And yet somehow I don’t think you’ll have any trouble keeping up.  Stay close, now.”  With that, he took off in a blur.

              JD’s eyes bulged, but he couldn’t help himself from grinning.  It was obvious Perry was running much faster than a human ever could, but JD found he could track every movement the other vampire made without difficulty.  He pushed off from the blacktop and bolted after Perry, easily catching up with him.  The exhilaration JD felt was plain on his face as they flew through the city, through parking lots and backyards, all completely unseen.  Within minutes, they had reached Turk’s and they stopped outside the door to the building, neither of them any more winded than usual.

              “That was insane,” JD said, his eyes alight with excitement. 

              Perry smiled openly at JD for a moment before masking it with a more serious expression.  “Well, what do you say?  You think you’re ready for this?”

              “Only if you can promise not to let me hurt them.”

              “I swear it.”

              JD took a moment to really look at Perry, taking in his expression.  He had never once doubted that Perry would take care of him, but the devotion Perry was exuding now was nearly tangible.  “Before we go in,” JD started, a little hesitant, “I just want to say thank you.  You’re putting your life on hold for me and protecting me _and_ making sure my friends are safe, too.  It means a lot to me.”

              “It’s only right,” Perry said seriously.  “JD, I caused this.  What kind of person would I be if I didn’t –”

              “Stop,” JD said, cutting Perry off and waving his hands.  “Please stop apologizing, Perry.  It’s getting old really fast and quite honestly, while I’m sure this’ll be one hell of an adjustment, I don’t hate it.  Not yet anyway.  Let’s just see how this visit goes…  But please don’t keep beating yourself up for this.  Like I told you – I’d much rather this be my fate than actually being dead.”

              “Fair enough,” Perry acquiesced, reaching for to open the door for JD.  “You lead the way.  I’ll be right behind you the whole time.  Just be prepared to scents that are going to tempt you.  Focus on something that will ground you, help you keep your self-control.  That’s half the battle right there.”

              “Got it,” JD said, committing Perry’s advice to memory.  As they walked into the building and down the hall, JD mentally pored over what Perry had said: something that would ground him.  His thoughts flickered to his friends, to his job, to his family, but the one face that continued to pop up was Perry’s.  He couldn’t pretend that with this change his feelings had gone away – in fact, they’d only seemed to grow in intensity.  He still remained doubtful about whether anything could ever happen between them given Perry’s distant personality.  But then again, what Perry’d said when he’d confessed to Turning JD forced him to wonder if there really _was_ something more substantial there: _“But I was selfish, JD, because the thought of a world without you in it…”_ That had to mean _something_ , didn’t it?  Before he could dissect the meaning of Perry’s words even more, he was broken out of his reverie when they arrived at the door to the apartment he’d called home since starting at Sacred Heart.

              “This is it,” he murmured, looking over to Perry for support.

              Much to his surprise, Perry placed a hand on his shoulder for a short moment.  “I’m right here,” he reminded JD, gesturing for him to knock as he pulled his hand away.

              JD knocked three times on the door, replaying Perry’s words in his mind as they waited.  Seconds later, he was greeted by Turk, whose look of worry and sorrow morphed into disbelief and then sheer joy.

              “JD!” Turk cried, stepping out into the hall and pulling JD into his arms, embracing him in a tight hug.

              JD panicked for a moment.  He was so close to Turk that he could _hear_ the blood coursing through his veins, but he managed to pull himself back, all the while hearing Perry’s voice in his head and staying present enough to realize that this was his best friend, not someone to feed from.  Tears sprang into his eyes as he imagined what his friends had been going through while he’d been missing.

              “Dude, get _in_ here,” Turk said, pulling JD into the apartment.  Perry followed closely behind, closing the door behind them.  “Where the hell have you been?  You’ve had us all worried sick!”

              “Turk, baby, why are you yell – _JD!_ ” Carla sobbed as she emerged from the bedroom, rushing over and holding JD tightly.  “Oh, Bambi.”

              JD let Carla hug him for only a little bit longer before pulling away more forcefully than he intended to.  He could feel his eyes darkening and the tell-tale prickling in his gums that he now knew preceded the lengthening of his fangs.

              “JD, are you okay?” Turk asked, stepping toward him.

              He held up his hands, taking an instinctive step back, and immediately, Perry was there, stepping forward and placing a hand on JD’s shoulder once again.  JD figured it was obvious how overwhelming this all was to him and he was grateful that Perry was there, not wanting to cut the visit short.

              “Dr. Cox, what are you doing here?” Carla asked, her eyes darting between the two of them.

              “Moral support,” Perry grunted as JD relaxed beneath his hand.

              “I asked him to be here,” JD added once he’d reined in his urges – at least for the time being.

              Turk’s brows furrowed.  “What the hell is going on?  JD, where have you _been_?”

              JD looked over his shoulder at Perry, who let his hand fall away and gave him a nod.  “It’s kind of a long story,” he said sheepishly.  “You guys should probably sit down.”

              Turk and Carla, though still obviously confused, did as they were told, sitting down on the couch beside each other while JD sank down into the adjacent chair, leaving Perry to stand protectively behind it.

“I guess the first thing I should start with is that I’m still me,” JD began, his nervousness seeping into his voice.  “And what I’m about to tell you is going to sound nothing short of crazy, but I really need you guys to believe me.”

              “Dude, what the hell –?” Turk started, but JD held up a hand.

              “The last thing I remember happened almost four days ago,” JD said, wishing fervently that Perry would replace his hand back on his shoulder.  Actually saying everything out loud to his best friends was proving to be much more daunting than he’d imagined.  “I was leaving work and – you remember Mr. Grant?  I hadn’t been able to diagnose him and ended up discharging him because we couldn’t find any medical reason for his pain.  He – he was there, outside by my car, waiting for me.  He said he’d been following me for a while…  And he shot me.”  JD realized there was no way he could have prepared himself to tell his friends that he’d died.  With his voice choking, he forced himself to continue on.  “By the time Perry found me, I’d been laying there for maybe ten minutes.  It was already too – too late to do anything else.  So he fed me his blood and since then, I’ve been completing my transition.”

              Carla gaped at JD in horror while Turk sat beside her, looking dumbfounded and disbelieving.  “Your transition into what?” he asked bluntly, his eyes narrowed.

              JD was about to look up at Perry again when he felt the reassuring touch of his hand upon his shoulder.  “A vampire,” he said, watching Turk and Carla with apprehension.

              Turk stared at JD, looking almost angry, while Carla wore an expression of deep sorrow.  “Is this some kind of joke?” Turk asked.  “Are we being Punk’d right now?  Because you going missing for _four fucking days_ without any of us knowing what the hell happened to you seems pretty extreme just for a _joke_.”

              “Turk, this isn’t a joke,” JD insisted, Perry’s hand on his shoulder the only thing keeping him from darting over to his friend and begging him on his knees to believe him.  “I can only imagine what you guys have been going through and if there’d been anything I could have done to prevent it, I swear I would’ve.  But this is the truth.  I – I _died_.  But Perry saved me.  I know it sounds crazy, but I promise that this is for real.”

              “So – so what?  You’re trying to tell us that Dr. Cox is a vampire, too?  And that he turned you into one?  JD, this is insane!” Turk cried, confirming JD’s fear that anger would be his go-to emotion.

              “Turk, I _am_ telling you the truth,” JD said weakly, beginning to lose hope of his friend ever believing him, accepting him.

              “Baby, do you believe this?” Turk asked, turning to Carla, who had so far remained silent.

              “I – I don’t know what to believe, Turk,” Carla sighed, glancing between him and JD.  “It might be easier if there was some sort of proof.”

              “Proof?” JD asked, looking up at Perry for help.  “How can I…?”  If he could have trusted himself to show his fangs, he would have, but he knew that if he gave into any of his most basic urges, he would lose control.

              “I’ll handle it,” Perry told JD before looking back up at the frightened, disbelieving couple in front of him.  “You two are never to share this with anyone outside of this apartment, do you understand?”

              “Oh, don’t think you can come in here and –”

              In an instant, Perry was in front of Turk, his eyes black and his fangs lengthened.  “Is this proof enough for you, Gandhi?  Because believe me, I’d love to go the next step and feed from you, but as it is, I made a promise to JD that I would help him through this and keep him safe.  Fortunately for you, the promise of safety extends to his friends.  So how’s about you stop whining and start _believing_?”

              Turk jumped back, terrified.  Carla nearly jumped off the couch, unable to take her eyes off Perry’s.  “How – how is any of this possible?” she gasped.  “I’ve known you for almost ten years!”

              “I’ve had plenty of time to practice,” Perry said dryly.  “Self-control is no longer an issue for me.  For JD, on the other hand…  He’s brand new and has a long way to go before he can control his urges as well as I can.”

              Turk looked over at JD, his eyes wide and frightened.  JD had folded in on himself, feeling ashamed, his regret plain on his face.  “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, man,” Turk said quietly as Perry straightened back up and retracted his fangs.  “It’s just a lot to take in, you know?”

              “I know,” JD replied.  “I’m the one living it.  This has been _insane_.  But Perry’s helping me a lot.  I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come find you guys ‘til now but the Turn takes time.  I’ve been unconscious until today.”

              “So do you, like, drink blood now?”

              “Yeah, but from blood bags.  I don’t want to feed from people.  I couldn’t right now, not without hurting them anyway.”

              “What about you?” Turk asked, rounding on Perry who’d taken his spot back beside JD.  “Do you… _feed_ from people.”

              “Very seldom, but yes, I have on occasion,” Perry said, and JD was actually grateful for his honesty despite how disturbing it might seem to Turk and Carla.  “Only when I’m intimate with a human have I taken their blood.  It serves to enhance the act.”

              Turk blinked, looking disgusted, but JD was intrigued by the information.

              “How on earth are you a doctor?” Carla asked.  “How can that be possible?  You’re surrounded by blood and by people who wouldn’t even be able to fight you off if you wanted to feed on them.”

              “Carla, I have spent over a century and a half as what I am now,” Perry told her.  “I have had _decades_ to practice control, to fight my thirst and my instincts.  For a young vampire like JD, the urges are not so much stronger as they are harder to control simply because he hasn’t had the time to practice.  Once a vampire finds a technique that works for them, they can hone it until it’s stronger than you’d even think possible.  How do you think I’m so fast, so precise, so strong?  Sure, I’ve got a boost up since I’m an immortal, but with time, all these things can be improved upon and I have had nothing _but_ time.”

              “How the hell old are you?” Turk asked, reeling.

              “I’m one hundred and ninety-two,” Perry said without flinching.  “I was Turned in 1863.”

              JD hoped they didn’t have to rehash the story of Perry’s Turn.  Not only did it seem incredibly personal, but he had once again started to feel the all-too-familiar burning in his throat that marked his thirst.  It was still manageable for the time being, but he hadn’t had much time to gauge just exactly how much time he had until it _wasn’t_.  He rubbed the back of his neck to seem casual and ran his tongue over his gums, trying to employ Perry’s strategies in hopes that it would speed up his ability to control his urges.

              He tried to listen as Perry continued speaking, but his voice slowly faded out into the background and was replaced by the steady beating of Turk’s and Carla’s hearts.  He could visualize their carotid arteries, their jugular veins, knowing precisely where they laid beneath the thin skin of their necks.

              “So, let me get this straight,” Turk interjected.  “You find JD in the parking lot, _bleeding to death_ , and instead of bringing him inside the _hospital_ , where you’re a _doctor_ , you _turn him into a vampire_.”

              Perry shook his head.  “The moment I stepped outside, I could _smell_ his blood.  Everyone’s has a different taste, a different scent.  With how much of a klutz JD is, I’ve smelled his blood before, so I knew it was him in an instant.  When I got to him, he was _inches_ from death.  Had I been five minutes late in leaving work, he would have been dead.  No amount of medical intervention would have helped him.  So _yes_ , instead of bringing him inside the hospital to die, I fed him my blood just moments before he passed.  By dying with my blood in his system, the Turn began.  It’s a long process, Turning.  I’m not even sure how long my own took, but JD was out of commission for no less than three days.  He only just woke and fed this afternoon.  It’s a painful process, too.  It feels as though your veins are on fire, like your blood is boiling, like your entire existence has been set aflame.  When you’re at that point, death seems a better option, but throughout the entire thing, you’re paralyzed.  Can’t move, can’t speak, can’t _scream_.  And all that while, your only thoughts are of blood.  Of drinking, of finding the nearest piece of flesh and sinking your fangs into it and quenching the thirst that rules your entire being.”

              Before another word could be said, JD launched off his chair, overcome with thirst.  Perry’s words had infiltrated his consciousness, making his need all the more intense.  He made it to the couch, his mouth – and by extension, his razor-sharp fangs – just inches from Carla’s neck.

              Carla screamed, flinching away from JD and backwards into Turk, but instantly, Perry was there, grabbing JD’s arms and hauling him away.

              JD hissed, fangs bared, his eyes completely black as he stared down his friends.  Perry, using his greater strength, forced JD to turn away and took his face in his hands, making JD look into his eyes.  “JD,” he said in a low voice, his tone ringing with authority.  “JD, _stop._ These are your friends.  You don’t want to feed from them.  _Breathe and focus_.”

              JD, by some miracle, was able to pull himself away from the bloodlust.  “I need…,” he croaked out, his head whipping around in panic.  “Get me out of here.”

              “Come on, kid,” Perry said, gripping JD’s upper arm so tightly that he might have snapped it if he were still human.  “Sorry to cut the visit short, but he can’t be here right now.”

              “I’m sorry,” JD mumbled, glancing up at his friends and hating himself for being the one who caused the looks of sheer terror on their faces.  Carla was still gasping for breath, clutching her chest, and Turk wrapped his arms protectively around her.  JD wished he wouldn’t have looked at them at all.

              Once they were outside, Perry eased his grip on JD’s arm.  “You did well in there, Newbie,” he told JD.

              JD whipped his head toward Perry, incredulous.  “Are you kidding?  I could have _killed_ Carla!  I _wanted_ to!”

              “We were there nearly half an hour before you tried anything.  I expected you to lose control the moment Turk hugged you.  JD, you’re less than a day old.  That was impressive.”

              JD brushed away angry tears, feeling foolish.  “Can we just go, please?” he muttered, unable to get the image of Turk’s and Carla’s expressions out of his head.

              Perry sighed and released JD’s arm completely.  “All right.  But stay close to me.  We’ll get you something to drink as soon as we get back.”

              As they ran, JD’s tears fell faster and his breathing hitched.  By the time they were less than a block away from Perry’s apartment, he had begun making loud gasping noises, on the verge of sobbing, but he was grateful that Perry made no comments.  When they reached the front doors of his building, Perry put an arm around JD’s shoulders and led him forward.  “Come on,” he said quietly, letting JD have his hysterics.  They entered his apartment unseen.  “Sit down,” he told JD, steering him toward the couch. 

              JD’s shoulders shook and he made low wailing noises.  Perry left him to go straight to the mini-fridge and he pulled out a couple blood bags, both of them for JD, and poured them into a glass.  He sat down beside JD and offered him the glass.  “Drink,” he said firmly, watching JD bring the glass to his lips, making soft hiccuping noises all the while.  It took him no time at all to finish off the blood, which Perry took into the kitchen.

              JD had only just begun to calm when Perry walked back into the living room, but his eyes were rimmed with red and he looked rather young.

              “Your emotions are heightened,” Perry said in a calm voice, reclaiming his spot beside JD.  “You’re feeling everything around you and then some.”

              “Nothing you say to me is going to change the fact that I could have killed my friends today,” JD said, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on his hand.  “I – I don’t care if my emotions are heightened or if I’m just a little baby vampire.  That doesn’t excuse what I did.  Did you even see their faces, Perry?”

              “I was too busy worrying about you, tell you the truth,” Perry said frankly.  “They’ll get over it.  You didn’t actually hurt anyone, JD.  You’re being far too hard on yourself.  I’m telling you that you’re doing so much better than I anticipated.”

              JD wiped at his eyes.  “I hate this,” he whispered.  “I miss being normal.”

              “Hate to break it to you, kid, but you were never normal,” Perry said, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

              JD sighed and looked away from Perry.  “And now you’re making jokes.”

              “Oh, come on,” Perry sighed.  “I’m just trying to lighten the mood.  You can’t walk around feeling sorry for yourself all the time.  You need to accept that this is happening and that you’re going to make mistakes.  I wish you’d also believe me when I tell you that I’m not going to let you harm anymore.  If there’s anything I regret, it’s the havoc I caused as a fledgling vampire, the lives I took.  I will not let that happen to you.”

              “You killed people?” JD asked in a small voice, lifting his head to look over at Perry.

              “In my first year as a vampire, I killed three hundred and fourteen people.  I still remember all their names.  People thought it was some sort of plague surging along the East Coast when really it was just me and my insatiable bloodlust.”

              “What made you stop?”

              “I fell in love,” Perry said simply.  “Falling in love with a human helped me find the value in human life, the beauty of it, all over again.  So, after a year and a half of letting my thirst run wild, I began the difficult process of taming it, and my ultimate goal was to become a doctor again.  I suppose the reason I’ve continued on that way for so long is that I’m still trying to atone for all the lives I took in my madness.”

              “What happened to the person you were in love with?” JD asked, trying to wrap his head around the idea of a Perry in love.  He had never seen Perry with anyone, friend or lover.

              “The world back then wasn’t as… open-minded as it is now.  The man I loved…”  Perry trailed off and looked away for a moment and cleared his throat.  “We were found out.  I had gone to the next town to feed-  I was trying to be inconspicuous – and when I came home, I’d found him hung in the town square.”

              JD covered his mouth in shock, feeling Perry’s pain so tangibly that it might as well have happened to him.  “Oh, Perry,” he breathed.  He hadn’t known of Perry’s sexuality until then, but he reminded himself that this was not the time to be hopeful that anything could happen between them.  “I’m so sorry.”

              “As am I,” Perry murmured.  “Benjamin Sullivan was his name.  He was an incredibly kind soul, so giving and _smart_.  He wanted to see the world, had such a thirst for adventure.  I only wish he could have gotten to see more of it.”

              JD reached out and placed a hand on Perry’s arm.  “I’m sure he’d be proud of who you became,” he offered.  It was plain that even though Perry had lost his love over one hundred fifty years ago, he still felt the loss keenly.

              “I’d like to think so,” Perry agreed, giving JD a soft smile.  “All right, I think that’s enough baring of our souls this evening.  Contrary to popular belief, we _do_ sleep and we do _not_ do it in coffins.  I’ve got a guest bedroom with your name on it if you’d like.”

              “Well, it’s not as though I can go back to my apartment,” JD said with a shrug.  “Thanks, Perry.”

 

              That night, as JD lay in the simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar bed, events that had long since been wiped from his memory began to filter back in.  The night in the alley where he’d found Perry hooking up with someone – no, not hooking up… _feeding_.  But what Perry had said at Turk’s, about only feeding during sex, popped into his mind.

              He could now remember in vivid detail Perry turning toward him – _This isn’t a threesome, Newbie, so get lost_ – and he’d seen something shiny on his chin.  Now able to connect the dots, JD realized exactly what Perry had been doing in the alley that night, but he also remembered Perry compelling him to forget the encounter.

              Just as he began to wonder if Perry had done that to him more than once, that night in the bar swam to the forefront of his thoughts.  He’d been drunk and had been so close to confessing his feelings for Perry, and as he replayed the encounter, he’d had a sense that Perry knew it.  But Perry had told him there were too many reasons why they couldn’t be together.  JD swore his heart had broken at that very moment, but then Perry had taken the memories away.  He wasn’t sure whether or not he should be angry with Perry, but now that he knew Perry had already fallen in love with another human – and look how that had turned out – he couldn’t quite muster up enough energy to be mad at him.  Especially when he remembered the plain regret in Perry’s voice.

              Somehow, JD managed to fall asleep that night despite his thoughts going in nearly twenty different directions.  Distantly, he wondered, just at the edge of consciousness, if that might have had anything to do with his mind settling on Perry himself.

 

              When JD woke the next day, late in the afternoon, it felt as though he was going through the Turn all over again.  He sat bolt upright in bed, gasping, his hand flying to his throat.  In an instant, Perry burst into the room, several blood bags in his hand.

              “Hey, hey,” he said quickly as JD stared at him, eyes wide, “you’re fine, Newbie.  Just thirsty.  Drink.”

              Without thinking, JD ripped a bag open and brought it to his mouth, draining it in mere seconds.  Perry handed him a second one and then a third before JD’s thirst finally felt quenched.  He flopped back down onto the bed, his eyes closed as his breathing evened out.

              “Can’t go that long without blood, it seems,” Perry observed as he sat down on the edge of the bed near JD’s feet.

              JD stared up at the ceiling.  “It was like the Turn all over again,” he whispered.  “At least I could move this time.”

              “I’m not used to needing so much blood,” Perry admitted.  “I suppose I forgot just how much you need as a new vampire.  I’ll have to leave you for a little while to stock up.  Feel like you’re in control?”

              JD nodded, sitting up against the headboard.  “Yeah, I feel fine now.  Do – where do you get the blood?”

              Perry fixed JD with an odd expression.  “JD, we work in a hospital.”

“But… you’re taking blood away from our patients.”

              “I’ve never taken more than what I need.  I can also go to the blood banks themselves, but Sacred Heart is much more convenient.  No one has ever noticed and I intend to keep it that way.  I’m good, Newbie.  I’ve had practice.”

              JD released a breath.  “Okay,” he finally allowed.  “I’m fine, really.  Go on, go grocery shopping.”

              Perry smiled back at JD, his expression more open than JD had ever seen it.  “That’s what we’re calling it now,” he chuckled.  “Why don’t you take a shower?  You may not smell like it, but you look like hell.”

              JD actually managed to laugh and ran a hand through his mussed hair.  “You mean I can be under running water?” he joked.

              “You can swim if you want to, kiddo,” Perry said, patting JD’s leg as he stood.  “You just might not want to go outside.”

              JD paused, his brows furrowing.  “Why?  What happens to us?” he asked apprehensively.

              “Calm, Newbie.  You won’t burst into flames, but the sun can weaken us quite dramatically.  And left outside for too long… well, we’ll just say that it’s not a preferable outcome.”

              JD swallowed.  “You’ll really be okay to get more blood?”  He knew he’d never be able to live with it if Perry got hurt doing something for him.

              “I’ll be just fine,” Perry assured him without a moment’s hesitation.  “Go on.  Bathroom.  I’ll be back before you know it.”

              JD waited until Perry left the apartment to pull himself out of bed – more of a metaphorical expression seeing as anything physical required very little effort on his part – and padded down the hall, preferring to walk at a human pace, to the extra bathroom.  He pulled off his shirt and let it fall to the floor, realizing he didn’t have any of his own clothes with him, but stopped in his tracks when he caught a glimpse of his reflection. 

              At first, he was simply shocked because he _could_ see himself, but then as his eyes roved over his upper body, he took in all the subtle changes to it since becoming a vampire.  He leaned forward on the counter and peered at himself.  His skin was absolutely perfect.  He hadn’t had much trouble with acne since he’d been a teenager, but now there were no imperfections to speak of – just pale, smooth, marble-like skin.  The next thing he noticed was the scruff on his chin, a bit more than a five o’clock shadow.  He made a mental note to ask Perry about hair growth later.  His eyes remained the same crystalline blue, but seemed clearer, deeper, somehow.  His eyes followed the line of his neck down to his shoulder and lower, finding the muscles in his chest and stomach just a bit more defined.  There was still a healthy layer of what he liked to call ‘pudge’ around his middle, but he felt leaner.  He straightened up and stretched, pleased at the way it felt on his muscles.

              JD let himself stare for a few moments longer before shaking off the changes he’d noticed and finished stripping off his clothes.  He moved to turn on the shower and felt the water, realizing that it didn’t matter what the temperature was.  He could distinguish between hot and cold, but the hot didn’t hurt and the cold didn’t sting or take his breath away.  Shrugging, he turned it to the right, making it hot, just the way he always would have.  He stepped in and let the water wash over him, glad to know that it served to make him feel a little more human.  It was a feeling he wanted to hang onto, no matter what.  Not much later, he heard Perry let himself back into the apartment.  He smiled to himself when he heard the other man whistling a tune he didn’t recognize.

After a few more indulgent minutes under the water, JD turned off the shower and toweled off.  Wrapping his towel around his waist, he walked out into the living room to find Perry drinking a glass of blood.  “Hey,” he said in greeting, his hair still dripping water down onto his shoulders.

              Perry turned to look at him and froze for a full second, his eyes roving over JD’s body.  JD had never realized just how long a second could feel until that moment.  “Uh… what?” Perry said lamely, his eyes flicking back up to meet JD’s.

              JD chuckled, feeling rather awkward.  “I don’t suppose you have any clothes I could borrow?  I’ll have to ask Turk if he can drop some of my things off, but for the time being, I’d rather wear a little more than a towel.”

              “Right,” Perry said, jumping up off the couch.  He returned in a flash with a t-shirt and sweats.  “These should fit you all right.  Didn’t figure you’d want to wear my boxers, so…”

              JD laughed, finally feeling in good spirits.  “Hey, the shower was a good idea,” he told Perry.  “I feel a lot better.  And thanks for the clothes.”

              “Don’t mention it, Newbie,” Perry replied.  “And I’ve got all the blood you’ll need for at least a week.”

              “Great,” JD said, really meaning it.  He took Perry’s words to mean that he’d be staying with him for at least that long.  “I’m gonna go get dressed, but remind me to ask you about this beard thing.”

              Perry snorted in response.  It wasn’t long before JD returned, fully dressed, with his hair as dried and fluffed up as he could get it without the use of a blow-dryer and product.

              “All right,” Perry said when JD plopped down on the couch beside him with a blood bag.  “Hair growth seems to continue at a normal rate.  But from what I’ve seen, nothing else seems to change.  No new muscle growth, no shrinkage or increase in height… nothing.  We’re largely unchanging, but it’s not as though I’ve been able to conduct studies on vampires, so this is all based simply on my findings in myself.  But that thing attaching itself to your face proves it.”

              JD grinned as he sipped from the bag.  “Don’t worry, I want to shave it, too.  But I didn’t want to steal one of your razors.  I also couldn’t do my hair the right way, so Turk’s definitely gonna have to bring my stuff over.  I don’t think I’m ready to go back there yet.”

              “I don’t blame you,” Perry said with a nod.  “I do think that it’s important that you get more exposure around humans, but there’s nothing wrong with taking a break for a day or two.”

              “Oh, hey,” JD interjected, “I was also going to ask you if there are any other spooky vampire things I should know about.  I’m still operating on old superstitions.  I saw my reflection, and I’m _smokin’_.”

              Perry rolled his eyes and thought for a moment.  “Oh, you have to be invited into any place where a human resides.  I caught it last night when Gandhi told you to get in the apartment.  That counted as an invitation.”

              “Wow,” JD said, mystified.  “And that’s why I didn’t have to be invited in here, because you’re not human.”

              “Correct,” Perry confirmed.  “And I’d already been invited into your apartment, so no worries there.  Public places like restaurants and hospitals and bars don’t pose a problem.  Hotels either.”

              JD nodded, processing the information and committing it to memory as he finished off his blood bag.  “This one was really good.  A positive.”

              “You’ll develop your own tastes.  I personally like AB negative the best, but it’s not as though I won’t stomach the rest.  Blood is blood is blood.  I even subsisted on animal blood for a while, though I wasn’t nearly as sharp when I was on it.  That was before you were even born.”

              JD pulled a face.  “ _Animal_ blood?  Sounds awful.”

              “It is,” Perry chuckled.  “I tried for two full years, but it proved to give me more trouble in controlling my urges at work.  I wasn’t as used to human blood then, so I had a much harder time when there was a patient with extensive bleeding.  The worse it got, the more I realized I needed to go back to drinking human blood.  Our senses are much sharper when it’s the real stuff.”

              “What kind of animals?” JD asked curiously.  “Like, are we talking mice?  Elephants?  Something in between?”

              Perry arched an eyebrow at JD.  “You’re ridiculous.  Mostly mountain lions, deer, things I could find up in the mountains.  I tried a rabbit once.  Absolutely terrible.”

              “Perry,” JD said reproachingly, “you can’t eat _bunnies_.”

              “That’s why I said _one time_ ,” Perry reminded JD, nudging him playfully with his elbow.

              JD’s heart leapt at the casual contact between them.  “Well, I’m glad you’re back on the human stuff because it is _delicious_.  Hey, can we eat human food?”

              “Absolutely,” Perry said.  “Tastes like shit, though.”

              “Really?  That’s kind of a bummer.”

              “You’ll get used to it.  You’ll get used to a lot of things.  The most important thing to remember is not to move too quickly around humans.  That’s why I typically move like a human even here at home so I don’t fall out of practice.  Though that’s not to say I don’t enjoy the perks of my speed on occasion.”

              “I was wondering about that,” JD mused.  “It seems like we should just be rocketing around everywhere, but that makes sense.”

              “I’m not saying it isn’t fun sometimes,” Perry said with a smile.  “Like yesterday when we ran.  Every so often, I just have to get out and go for a run.  We move so quickly that we can’t be seen by the human eye.  Vampirism does have its bonuses.”

              “Tell… tell me about the perks,” JD pressed.  “I want to know everything we can do.”

              Perry grinned.  “Well, so far, I think you’ve got the basics down, but let’s see…”  Before he could say anything else, both of their heads snapped up when there was a knock at the door.  “Stay put,” Perry told JD.  “You don’t need to unnecessarily tempt yourself.”

              JD shook his head.  “You don’t have to worry.  It’s Turk.”

              Perry gave JD a confused look, which made the young vampire beam.  “Can’t you smell him?  He smells… I don’t know how to explain it, but I can tell.  I mean, he smells _really_ good, but knowing it’s him helps me _not_ think that way.”

              Perry gave JD a proud, approving nod.  “Doing well, Newbie,” he said as he walked toward the door where Turk knocked a second time.  “Doing well.”  He opened the door to reveal a both nervous and sheepish-looking Turk with his arms full of duffel bags.

              “Is – is JD here?” he asked hesitantly, looking intimidated by Perry.

              Perry moved aside, putting JD in plain view of Turk.  JD had moved off the couch and towards the kitchen, because despite what he’d just said, when the door opened, Turk’s scent was much stronger and he wanted to be more careful than last time.

              “I brought some of your stuff over,” Turk said once he spotted JD.  “Clothes, journals… that crap you put in your hair.  Figured if you were planning on staying with Dr. Cox for a while that you might want it.”

              “I’ll give you two some privacy,” Perry announced, ghosting down the hall toward his bedroom.

              JD managed a smile, but he wondered if Perry had a little too much faith in him. 

              “Is it really privacy if he can still hear every word we’re saying?” Turk joked, stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him.  “So, how’re you doing, man?”

              JD shrugged, inching his way toward the couch.  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he blurted out.  “And I’m really sorry about last night.  H-how’s Carla?”

              “She’s fine,” Turk assured him.  “She was a bit shaken up – well, we both were – but really we’re just glad you’re alive.  Or… not dead, I guess.”

              “I’m sort of dead,” JD said, forcing a smile.  “Undead.”

              “Maybe we could sit down,” Turk suggested, gesturing to the couch.  “That’s a pretty human thing to do, right?”

              In an instant, JD flashed over to the couch and sat, causing Turk to jump.  “Shit,” he mumbled under his breath, ducking his head.  “I’m sorry.  The whole extra-strong, extra-fast thing takes some getting used to.”

              “Dude, I bet you could bench me,” Turk said with a quiet laugh, looking perfectly at ease.

              “Probably,” JD agreed, still feeling solemn.  “I – I’m really sorry for what I put you guys through.  And not just from the other night, but when you thought I was… gone.”

              Turk shook his head.  “We don’t have to do this, JD.  You’re here now and relatively the same person.  That’s all we can ask for.  And this whole… vampire thing… it’s pretty crazy, but isn’t it also kind of cool?”

              JD glanced toward the window; the curtains were drawn, but he could tell the sun was setting outside.  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to still be here, but I miss being me, you know?  Just me.  I don’t know how long it’ll be until I can go back to being a doctor and I can’t go outside for very long, not to mention that I’m even _more_ emotional than before.  It’s a lot to deal with.”

              “You’re telling me there’s _nothing_ good about this?” Turk asked.

              JD’s eyes flickered over to the hall that led to Perry’s bedroom, realizing that his sire was the first thought in his mind of what was good.  “Some things, I guess,” he agreed, though he didn’t want to say anything more on the subject with Perry within hearing distance.  “So, you brought some of my stuff?”

              “Yeah,” Turk said, gesturing toward the bags at his feet.  “Take a look.”

              JD reached into the bag nearest him and began rummaging through it.  It contained most of his journals from med school and everything he’d written during his short time as an intern.  “Wow, Turk, this is… thank you.  Seriously.”

              Turk smiled over at JD.  “You’re welcome.  Seriously.”

              JD couldn’t help but laugh.  “Hey, maybe next time you visit you could bring Rowdy,” he said hopefully.  He was fairly certain that Perry would allow it as long as it made him happy.

              “I think we could work up a custody agreement,” Turk allowed.  “Carla definitely wouldn’t complain.”

              “Definitely not,” JD laughed.  “Hey, have you told Elliot anything?”

              Turk frowned.  “She’s been a wreck so we had to tell her that you were okay.  We didn’t tell her that you have fangs, of course, but she was so worried, man.  But everyone else at the hospital… we have no idea what to say.  If they know you’re all right, they’re gonna want to know why you’re not at work.”

              “That’s a good point,” JD sighed.  “I don’t know what to say either.  If someone were to see me after the sun sets or something, it’ll… it’ll ruin everything, won’t it?  But it’s not like I can go tell everyone that I had to take a sabbatical because I became a vampire.”

              “Yeah, probably not,” Turk agreed.  “Probably shove you in the psych ward for 72 hours.”

              JD snorted.  “Part of me just wants to find Mr. Grant,” he admitted.  “He wouldn’t expect to see me, that’s for sure.  And I wouldn’t have to hurt him, just scare him a little.”  He looked up and noticed Turk was staring at him with something far too close to fear for his liking.

              “Dude, your eyes…”

              JD blinked, not understanding for a moment.  Then he realized his eyes had darkened with the anger, the resentment he felt toward the man who had ended his life.  “Sorry,” he said softly, turning his head away from Turk.  “Sometimes I don’t even know it’s happening.”

              “It’s okay,” Turk said, though it was clear he was uneasy.  “Just not used to it yet is all.”

              “I wish you didn’t have to be,” JD whispered, almost too quietly for Turk to hear.  He flinched a little when he felt Turk’s hand on his shoulder.

              “We’ll get you through this, JD, I promise,” he said sincerely.  “I don’t care how long it takes.  Me and Carla have your back.  And I know that being around us is hard for you, but that’ll get better with time, won’t it?  Look at Dr. Cox.  His self-control is crazy good.  You’ll get there, too.”

              JD looked over at Turk, pleased that for once he didn’t feel the urge to eat his best friend.  “Do you think we could try that hug again?” he asked with a weak, sad smile.

              Turk smiled back and stood, opening his arms.  JD walked directly into them, grateful for the warm embrace.  Turk was so purely human and JD knew that as long as they stuck together, he could hold onto his own humanity.  “Thanks for coming over,” JD sighed when they pulled apart.  “And tell Carla I said hi.  And that she can visit anytime.  If she wants to, that is.”

              “She’ll be here, I’m sure,” Turk said confidently.  “And we’re always just a phone call away.  You know that.”

              “I do,” JD confirmed, giving Turk a more genuine smile.  “Thanks again, C-Bear.  I couldn’t do this without you.”

              Turk grinned.  “You know how I do,” he laughed, heading for the door.  “See ya, Dr. Cox!” he called before stepping out into the hall and shutting the door behind him.

              JD lowered himself back down onto the couch and picked up the other duffel bag Turk had brought.  This one contained every single haircare product he owned, most of his clothes, a smattering of personal objects he kept in his room, and tucked into the inside pocket was a note.  Curious, he pulled it out and unfolded it.

              _Bambi,_

_I’m sure you’re going through a hard time right now, so I’m sorry if Turk says anything insensitive while he’s there.  You know how he can be.  But as you know just as well, he always comes from a place of love.  So do I.  That’s why I want to make sure you know that Turk and I will do anything we can to help you through this.  That includes a home, if you want it, but something tells me you’re perfectly happy staying with Dr. Cox._

_I know how you feel about him, JD, and it’s obvious how deeply he cares for you.  Just don’t move too quickly.  You both know yourselves well, but he’s got many years of experience on you – more than I thought – and I want you to be sure that you know what you’re getting yourself into with him.  My advice to you is this: take care of yourself first and then focus on him.  Find your footing and everything else will find its way._

_I’ll see you soon,_

_Love, Carla._

              “What have you got there?” Perry asked, walking out into the living room.

              “Nothing,” JD said quickly, shoving the note into the bottom of the bag and brushing away a stray tear.  “It was just good to see Turk, that’s all.  And I didn’t want to feed on him, not this time anyway.”

              Perry gave JD a knowing smile and moved to the mini-fridge and pulled out a blood bag for both of them.  “You’re making good progress, JD,” he said, offering JD the blood.

              JD took it and took a long swig from the bag, but his mind was too preoccupied to make small talk.  He played Carla’s note over and over in his head.  It didn’t surprise him that she knew how he felt about Perry and he appreciated her sensitivity in writing a letter so Perry couldn’t overhear.  But he had expected Carla to urge him to go for it right off the bat.  But what she’d said… it made too much sense.  If he couldn’t find himself, figure out who he was in this strange new world, how could he give himself fully to Perry?  The answer was that he _couldn’t_. 

              “Do you remember everything from when you were human or do those memories go away?” JD asked out of the blue.

              “Human memories tend to fade with time unless they’re tied to a particularly strong emotion,” Perry explained, giving no indication that JD’s question had taken him off guard.  “I remember the war so vividly because the loss of life caused me so much pain.  Other things, like my family, I don’t remember as well.  From what I _do_ know, we didn’t have a good relationship.”

              JD nodded, knowing that if he was going to breach this subject, he had to just go for it.  “You didn’t tell me about the… hypnosis thing.”

              Perry froze for a moment, but then sighed.  “Compulsion.  You remember now.”  The way he phrased his words made it clear it was not a question.

              “I’m not angry, if that’s what you’re worried about.  But you know how I – how I feel.  You always did.  At least I know where I stand now.”

              “JD, wait a minute,” Perry said, moving closer to him on the couch.  “It’s not that simple.”

              “No hard feelings, Perry,” JD said, quickly building up walls around his heart.  “Really.  I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.  You don’t owe me anything.”

              “I know I don’t _owe_ you,” Perry insisted, rising up off the couch just one second after JD did.  “But we can talk about this.  I didn’t do it to – to hurt you, Newbie.  I did it to protect you.”

              “And now you don’t have to protect me anymore,” JD said with feigned indifference as he inched toward the door.  “Look, I was gonna go for a run now that Turk is gone and the sun is set.  No worries, Perry.”

              As JD fled the apartment, he heard Perry sigh just before the door closed.  If he was going to be staying with Perry for a while, he knew he couldn’t run away from this, but facing the fact that Perry might not share his feelings was too much for him to take.  That in combination with Carla’s note and his memories of Perry’s compulsion made him step out into the fresh air for the first time on his own.  He wasn’t sure where he wanted to go, but before he knew it, he was running faster than he ever had before.  The speed of the wind whipping around him was unlike anything he’d ever felt, and the ability to hear _everything_ around him – the cars, conversations, even birds and droplets of water slipping from leaves down to the ground.  It gave him a brand new appreciation for the world around him, even if it felt like his own was on shaky footing. 

 

              Perry found him an hour later at the beach.  He’d been walking along the water’s edge for nearly twenty minutes after zig-zagging up and down the coastline just for the sake of running.  But the air had cooled and the beach had nearly emptied, so he’d taken the time to appreciate his temporary solitude.  He heard Perry arrive – he’d recognized the scent immediately – but did not look up.  He kept his head turned toward the ocean, watching the waves in the light of the moon. 

              “Penny for your thoughts,” Perry offered when he reached JD’s side.  His voice was soft, subdued, and unlike JD had ever heard it before.

              JD shrugged as he looked out over the horizon.  “Just wondering what it’s going to be like.”

              “What what’s going to be like?”

              “Eternity,” JD replied quietly.  “It’s such a strange concept, knowing that you and I could live forever.  Do you think we’ll stay together the whole time?  Or were you planning to go your own way once you were sure I wouldn’t kill anyone?”

              “Newbie, come on now,” Perry scolded gently.  “I told you, my being alone all these years was a personal choice.  I can also choose to stay with you.  If you’ll have me, of course.”

              “I don’t want to make you unhappy,” JD sighed.

              Perry put his hand on JD’s shoulder, making JD look him in the eyes.  “You don’t make me unhappy, JD,” he said firmly.  “And no amount of compulsion could ever rid you of me.”

              JD swallowed hard but maintained eye contact with Perry.  “Then I guess we’ll stay together,” he agreed before turning back to look at the water.  “For as long as you want.”

              Perry dropped his hand and let out a frustrated noise.  “You’re upset with me.  I can see that.  Is it because I compelled you?  Or is it _why_ I compelled you?”

              “I know you had your reasons,” JD said, beginning to walk slowly along the waterline again, Perry right beside him.  “You didn’t want to get close to anyone – to another human.  I can understand that.”

              “You didn’t answer my question,” Perry pointed out.

              JD smiled wryly.  “I’m sure you can understand the need for… self-preservation,” he said, knowing he was still evading Perry’s question.  “Where I am right now, the way I feel… it’s all _so much_.  You said it yourself – everything is heightened for me right now.  I need some time to sort it all out, to see my emotions for what they really are.”

              “You do what you have to do, JD,” Perry said softly, making JD look away when he saw Perry’s sinking expression.  “Just stay with me, all right?”

              “There’s nowhere else I want to go,” he murmured, shoving his hands into his pockets.  It was nothing but the truth.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              The next several months flew by.  They came up with an alibi for their continued disappearances – JD’s mother had fallen ill and he’d gone back home to help out and Perry was taking a leave of absence to travel with Doctors Without Borders, and Perry had even gone so far as to sneak into the hospital and compel Kelso to believe it.  JD put the conversation on the beach behind him and focused solely on honing his new abilities.  With Perry’s help, he worked on controlling the bloodlust.  He found that Perry’s technique for running his tongue over his gums helped significantly, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t had their fair share of close calls.  The first time had been the most difficult for JD; it had left him guilt-ridden for over a week.

              They had been about an hour south of the city at a bar and Perry had been wanting to test JD, to see how he did in more chaotic, high-stress situations.  JD agreed, knowing that if he wanted to go back to work at some point, he would have to be perfectly calm in even the most pressure-filled situation.  Perry had figured a bar would be a good place to start.  It was crowded and filled with warm bodies and for the first fifteen minutes, JD felt all right.  But then Perry had left him under the pretense of getting them beers – to keep up appearances, he’d said – and JD had panicked and started to lose his grip.  He’d fixated on a young man who had been eyeing him from across the room.  He’d gotten him outside and away from any streetlights before Perry had even realized JD was gone.  They’d kissed some and JD was nuzzling at the man’s neck, his fangs _aching_ by the time Perry had found them.  He’d thrown JD halfway across the parking lot and compelled the man to forget both of them.  And then Perry had _yelled_ at him.

              “What the _hell_ were you thinking?” Perry had shouted, advancing on JD with a furious look in his eyes.  “Not only did you lose focus, but you were going to take him out in plain view of anyone who walked across the goddamn _parking lot_?”

              “I – I wasn’t thinking,” JD had said, hating himself for losing control and for letting Perry down.  He hadn’t seen a glimpse of the old Dr. Cox from Sacred Heart since he’d Turned and it had nearly broken his heart to be yelled at again.  “I’m sorry, I –”

              “Don’t apologize to me,” Perry had said icily.  “Sorry wouldn’t bring him back if you’d fed from him.  If there’s one thing I know about young vampires, it’s that once they’ve gotten a taste, they’re insatiable and they don’t stop until they’ve killed.  I will _not_ let that happen to you, but you can _not_ be so careless!”

              JD had felt about two inches tall by the time Perry’d finished.  He’d had nothing to say for himself and hadn’t left the apartment again for an entire week.  It didn’t occur to him until much later that his loss of control might not have been the only thing Perry was upset about with regards to JD being pressed up against another man.

 

              The second time JD lost control, Perry welcomed it – up to a point.  They’d stuck closer to home, though they were careful to keep to the shadows so no one they knew would recognize them.  Perry had disappeared from the hospital as well, after all.  They were in the bad part of town, after dark, but the streets were teeming with people.  Some pedaling drugs, others in the midst of fights.  Neither of them paid the strangers any mind, but JD froze in the middle of the sidewalk so suddenly that even Perry had to backtrack.

              “It’s him,” JD whispered, looking across the street. 

              “Who?” Perry asked, trying to figure out where JD’s gaze was directed.

              JD had never been filled with a rage so powerful before – he was a nonviolent, fairly passive person, but the sight made his blood boil.  “Mr. Grant,” he growled, fixated.

              “JD,” Perry said calmly, “I won’t stop you, but whatever you do… you’re going to have to live with it for a very, _very_ long time.”

              “I don’t care,” JD said, already halfway across the street.  He stalked Mr. Grant for a few blocks, the older man completely oblivious, until the crowd thinned, leaving only a few stragglers here and there.  He could feel Perry’s eyes on him, but for once he didn’t care what Perry thought. 

              JD seized his opportunity just as Mr. Grant turned the corner.  He sped forward, grabbed him by his collar, and dragged him into the alley, slamming him up against the wall of the nearest building.  Before he could even cry out, JD pinned him and hissed, baring his fangs.  “Remember me?” he asked in a low voice. 

              “B-b-but you – you – I _shot_ you!” Mr. Grant whimpered, his eyes wide with terror.

              “You certainly did,” JD growled.  “You shot me and then you _left me_ to bleed to death.  You _killed_ me.”

              “H-how are you h-here?” he asked, struggling in vain to get free.

              “Have you ever considered, Mr. Grant, that your nightmares might just be real?” JD asked, his eyes going dark.

              Mr. Grant began to cry in earnest.  “Please,” he begged.  “I’m sorry.  I – I was hopeless.  I’m so sorry.”

              “You should have thought about that before you shot me!” JD shouted, slamming him back against the wall once again.  “I should kill you right now.  It’d only be fair.”

              “JD,” came Perry’s voice from the end of the alley.  “Be sure this is what you want to do.”

              JD’s head whipped toward Perry, his fangs still bared.  “I know what I’m doing,” he said angrily before turning back to Mr. Grant.   He leaned forward and ran his razor-sharp fangs over the skin of the sobbing man’s neck.  “I could really make it hurt, just like that bullet did,” he whispered, tightening his hold.

              “Please don’t,” Mr. Grant cried.  “Please, I never should have – I didn’t mean to – I didn’t know what else to do!”

              “Newbie,” Perry said again, his voice much closer.  “That’s enough.  You’ve had your fun, now let him go.”

              “What are you doing?” JD hissed, not easing his grip on Mr. Grant in the slightest.  “You said I could do whatever I want.”

              “I know you,” Perry continued calmly, “and if you kill him, you’re going to hate yourself for it every day for the rest of your very long life.”

              JD hesitated, looking back at Mr. Grant, at the feeble, pathetic man before him.  “Or maybe I’ll enjoy draining him and then ripping him to pieces,” he said, voice rumbling low in his chest. 

              “Maybe,” Perry allowed.  “I’d sure hate to see you turn your back on your humanity, though.  It’s my favorite part of you.”

              JD stood very still for a long moment, trying to summon back the rage had filled him only moments ago, but found it to be a lost cause.  He slammed Mr. Grant against the wall once more before fixing him with a powerful stare.  “If I _ever_ see you again, I will kill you,” he growled.  “Forget you saw me tonight, but know that if you ever harm another soul the way you harmed me, the guilt will be the least of your problems.”  He tossed him to the ground, finding sick satisfaction in the way his body crumpled.  “You pathetic excuse for a man,” he spat before turning on his heel and brushing past Perry and racing back home to the apartment with Perry on his heels.

              “How dare you!” JD shouted, rounding on Perry the minute they were in the door.  “You should have let me kill him!  He deserved it!”

              “He absolutely deserved it,” Perry agreed, standing his ground, but not sounding angry.  “But I stand by what I said.  You would have regretted it forever and forever isn’t something you should take lightly.  You’re too compassionate, JD, and it would have torn you apart.”

              JD glared at Perry for as long as he could manage before the fight went out of him.  “Why are you always right?” he muttered, stalking over to the couch, turning away from Perry so he wouldn’t see his angry tears.

              “Newbie, are you okay?” Perry asked gently, though he stayed where he was. 

              “No,” JD said, his voice breaking.  “I just saw the guy who killed me.  He was the last thing I saw as a human and I _hate_ him.  And even despite all that, you _still_ helped me stay in control and not do something extraordinarily stupid.”

              Perry walked over and opened his arms to JD.  “It’s okay,” he murmured, resting his chin on JD’s shoulder when the younger man walked into his embrace.  “I’m so proud of you, kid.  You’ve been doing so well.”

              “Not without your help,” JD sniffled, dropping his forehead onto Perry’s shoulder.  “I’d never be able to get through this without you, Perry.”

              Perry rubbed JD’s back in an attempt to comfort him.  “I’m always going to be here, Newbie.  Even when it seems like I’m being hard on you, it’s only because I have your best interest at heart.”

              “I know you do,” JD mumbled, finally pulling away from Perry’s embrace.  “Thank you.”

              Perry gave him a soft smile.  “Don’t mention it.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

              After the altercation with Mr. Grant, JD and Perry’s relationship seemed to flourish.  During Turk and Carla’s visits, Carla even hinted that she noticed it, too.  JD had once again begun to feel hopeful, even if it was something he kept in the back of his mind.  

              Six months after JD’s Turn, he and Perry were walking outside, not too far from the apartment.  They’d just gotten back from the coast and had decided to take their time getting home. 

              “You know,” JD said conversationally, his usual smile on his face, “you’re a lot different than I thought you’d be.”

              “How’s that?” Perry asked, sounding politely amused.

              “Nicer, I guess.  I mean, you were kind of a jerk at the hospital.  You know that, right?”

              Perry actually grinned, much to JD’s surprise.  “Yeah, I know, kid.”

              “So why the big change?”

              “Guess it’s nice to finally be able to be myself,” Perry said with a shrug.  “I haven’t told anyone about my true nature since Ben and that was over a century ago.  It’s sort of freeing, I suppose.  Got a lot less reasons to be mad at the world now.”

              JD smiled softly, his heart warming at the fact that he had a hand in making Perry feel this way.  “I’m just glad you let me in, Perry,” he mumbled, looking at the ground, quite grateful he couldn’t blush.  “Regardless of the fact that you were the one to Turn me, there was no rule that you had to open up the most private parts of your life to me.  Kind of humbling, to tell you the truth.”

              Perry patted JD on the shoulder, never breaking his graceful rhythm.  “Race you back home, kid.”

              JD grinned, letting Perry have a head start just so he could take a moment to enjoy the fact that Perry thought of his apartment as both their homes now.

              Within minutes, they were both seated on the sectional couch with a glass of blood in their hands, and JD finally found the courage to ask a question he’d been holding back for some time.  “Okay, so I’ve got to ask,” he burst out.  “You’ve lived for over a century and a half – almost _two_.  What was your favorite decade?”

              Perry chuckled and set down his glass on the coffee table.  “That’s what you’ve been so desperate to ask?  You’re quite the character, Newbie.”

              “I’m serious!” JD insisted, laughing along with Perry.  “Come on, one must stand out as more – more important or more fun or more meaningful.”

              Perry paused then, seeming to mull over his answer as he looked at JD.  “Now,” he finally answered.  “Now’s my favorite time.”

              JD nodded thoughtfully.  “Yeah, the advancements in medicine must make life a lot easier.  The technology, the knowledge itself…”

              “No, JD,” Perry said softly.  “My preference for this particular decade, this _time_ , has nothing to do with being a doctor.  It doesn’t even have anything to do with being a vampire, really.  It does, however, have everything to do with… well… _you_.”

              JD’s eyes widened, daring to hope that Perry’s words meant what he thought they did.  “Right,” he said weakly.  “Because you can be yourself around me.  You don’t have to hide.  That’s huge.”

              Perry smiled and shook his head fondly.  “Come on, Newbie, are you going to make me spell it out for you?”

              “I guess I am,” JD murmured, never letting his eyes leave Perry’s.

              In a fraction of a second, Perry was right in front of JD, seated beside him on the couch.  Then, as slowly as JD had ever seen him move, Perry lifted his hands to hold JD’s face between them, his thumbs brushing softly against his skin.

              JD’s breath hitched in his throat and he felt as though he might cry.  Everything he’d ever dreamt of… and it finally seemed to be happening.

              “Does this answer it for you?” Perry breathed, his eyes darting back and forth between JD’s.

              “Almost,” JD whispered, catching his lower lip between his teeth.  “I just need one more thing.”

              “And what might that be?”

              “Kiss me.”

              JD had expected Perry to crush their lips together, but instead, he continued to move slowly and pressed his lips against JD’s in a soft, tender kiss, their noses brushing against each other’s.  JD sighed into the kiss, his release of breath not quite a moan, and wound his arms around Perry’s neck, ensuring the other man stayed close.  When he’d pictured this moment in the past, he’d always envisioned it as something desperate, quick and hasty, but he found he much preferred this way of doing things.  Knowing that Perry wanted it just as badly, wanted to savor the feeling of each other, made it all the better.  He knew he would never forget this, their first kiss, or Perry’s admission of his feelings – and not just because he was no longer human and had the ability to remember everything.

              “You have no idea how long I waited for this,” JD sighed, resting his forehead against Perry’s.

              “I think I might have an idea, actually,” Perry replied, pulling back to look JD in the eye once again.  “Your feelings weren’t one-sided, kiddo.  I was just trying to protect you… and myself.  It’s been so long since I’ve been able to be myself with someone.  And you were so fragile back then – so _human_.  If I’d ever hurt you, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”

              JD reached up and brushed a thumb over Perry’s cheek.  “All that’s in the past now, Perry,” he reminded him again, his thoughts flickering back to that conversation several months ago.  “You won’t hurt me.  You _can’t_ , not since you saved me.  I – I love you.”

              Perry released a surprised breath and smiled, a sight that JD would never tire of.  “I love you, JD,” he murmured.  “There’s… there’s something I want to try if you’re up for it.”

              “Anything,” JD said readily, his eyes shining.

              “I’ve never actually done this with another vampire.  Never really had the opportunity…” Perry leaned forward and pressed his lips to JD’s neck.  He sucked lightly at the skin and JD shivered with pleasure and anticipation.  Perry ran his tongue along the vein that laid just beneath the surface for a moment before his fangs emerged.  He ran the very tip of them along JD’s skin in warning and JD tilted his head back to give Perry better access, completely willing to go along with whatever Perry wanted.  The anticipation made his head spin and he sucked in a few ragged breaths, panting as he wound his arms around Perry more tightly. 

              When Perry’s fangs broke his skin, JD cried out, arching into Perry, his mouth dropping open in sheer pleasure.  The feeling was unlike anything he’d ever known and he felt himself growing aroused in record time.  It was all he could do to stay still as Perry drank from him, each pull of the blood from his veins making his hips twitch, his cock throb in its confines.  The pleasure was almost too intense and he felt relatively certain that if Perry were to touch him – or if he were to touch himself, for that matter – it would all be over in an instant.

              He was still gasping when Perry pulled away, traces of JD’s blood still on his lips.  JD wasted no time in capturing them in a deep, hungry kiss.  “Did you know?” he huffed when they broke apart.

              “I wasn’t sure,” Perry said roughly, his own hips rolling forward instinctively.  “It can be that way for humans, I know, but I wasn’t sure what it would be like for two of us.”

              JD swallowed hard, wanting desperately to touch Perry.  Before he could act on his wishes, he was struck by a sudden idea, an image that had been bouncing around in his head for a while.  Wordlessly, he slid off the couch and knelt between Perry’s legs, pushing them apart and drawing attention to his sizable erection.  Reaching forward, JD traced the outline of Perry’s cock, eliciting a soft sigh from the vampire.  JD forced himself to keep control and slowly, teasingly, pulled off Perry’s pants, bringing his boxers along with him.

              JD could feel Perry’s eyes on him, see his cock twitch every so often with anticipation.  “I trust you know all about the femoral artery,” he purred, rubbing the palms of his hands over top of Perry’s thighs.

              “Been a doctor a lot longer than you,” Perry breathed in a weak attempt at humor. 

              “Mm, yes,” JD hummed, careful not to touch Perry’s cock, leaving it lay straining against his belly.  He nuzzled against the skin of Perry’s inner thigh and listened to him whimper, though he was sure he’d never get Perry to admit to doing so.  He closed his eyes for a moment when Perry ran his fingers through his hair, reveling in his soft touch.  JD located the artery with ease, his fangs automatically lengthening.  He was intrigued to note that his eyes didn’t darken as they usually did – apparently his body knew the difference between the blood of a human, of nourishment, and the blood of another vampire.

              The very moment his fangs pierced the surface of Perry’s skin and the warm blood touched his tongue, JD realized he’d never known anything sweeter.   Hearing Perry above him gasping and moaning easily had him nearing the edge.  He reached up to wrap a hand around Perry’s throbbing cock, imagining the sheer relief it brought him.  He stroked him quickly, mouth latched onto him all the while.  Perry dug his fingers into the back of the couch, doing his level best to keep his hips still as JD worked him over.  His head fell back and he groaned, the sound pulled from deep within his chest, as he came, pulsing over and over again, his entire body shaking with the intensity of it.  JD’s pace never faltered and he only pulled away once he was certain Perry had finished.  He couldn’t believe he held on as long as he had, but he knew it wouldn’t take more than the brush of Perry’s fingers to finish him off.

              Once recovered, which took a blessedly short amount of time, Perry hauled JD back up onto the couch, kissing him soundly and practically tearing off JD’s clothing.  Without warning, he pushed JD onto his back and moved down his body, taking JD’s cock in his mouth and enveloping him in the wet heat.

              JD moaned loudly, his hands flying down to tangle in Perry’s hair.  “Yes, yes, god, Perry – _fuck yes_ ,” he cried, unable to keep his hips still.  Perry was giving him everything he had, moving quickly up and down the length of his cock before sucking insistently at the head, doing everything in his power to pull his release from him.

              With a strangled cry, JD came hard and fast, spilling into Perry’s waiting mouth.  His mind went completely blank as he rode out his high, his pleasure so immense that it was the only thing he could register.  As he came down, he went limp, melting into the couch.  “ _Fuck_ ,” he said appreciatively, still twitching with aftershocks as Perry lowered himself down on top of him.

              “That was… somethin’ else,” Perry murmured, closing his eyes and pressing soft, wet kisses everywhere he could reach.

              JD couldn’t have wiped the smile off his face even if he’d tried.  “Hey,” he said softly, carding his fingers through Perry’s hair.  “I want to ask you something.”

              “Anything.”

              “When I almost fed off that guy… I know you were mad, but –”

              “I was jealous,” Perry chuckled, lifting his head to look at JD with a warm expression.  “Surprised you couldn’t tell back then.”

              “I didn’t want to let myself hope,” JD admitted.  “But I guess when you have forever, a few more months isn’t all that long to wait.”

              Perry leaned down and kissed JD thoroughly.  “You make a good vampire, Newbie.  And I shouldn’t be surprised because you made a damn good human, too.”

              “Thanks,” JD said softly.  “But I learned from the best.”

              And before Perry could say anything more, JD caught his lips in another kiss, losing himself in absolute pleasure.


End file.
